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Hiatus hernia
A hiatus hernia is when part of your stomach moves up into your chest. It's very common if you're over 50. It does not normally need treatment if it's not causing you problems.
Check if you have a hiatus hernia
You can have a hiatus hernia without knowing and without it being a problem.
With a hiatus hernia you may:
have a painful burning feeling in your chest, often after eating (heartburn)
bring up small amounts of food or bitter-tasting fluids (acid reflux)
have bad breath
burp and feel bloated
feel or be sick
have difficulty or pain when swallowing
These are the symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD).
Non-urgent advice:
See a GP if:
your symptoms do not go away after 3 weeks
your symptoms are very bad or getting worse
medicines from the pharmacy do not help
Information:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: how to contact a GP
It's still important to get help from a GP if you need it. To contact your GP surgery:
visit their website
use the NHS App
call them
Find out about using the NHS during COVID-19
Urgent advice:
Get advice from 111 now if you have indigestion or acid reflux and:
you have lost weight for no reason
swallowing becomes difficult
you're being sick (vomiting) frequently
there's blood in your sick
you have pain in your upper tummy
111 will tell you what to do. They can arrange a phone call from a nurse or doctor if you need it.
Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111.
Other ways to get help
Treatment for a hiatus hernia
Broadly, treatment follows these steps:
Change your eating habits, for example, eat smaller, more frequent meals and do other things to help with the symptoms of GORD.
If you smoke, try to give up, as it can irritate your digestive system and make your symptoms worse.
Buy medicines from the pharmacy (ask the pharmacist what you should take to help with the symptoms of GORD).
If medicines from the pharmacy and changing your eating habits do not help, see a GP, who can prescribe stronger medicines.
If stronger medicines do not work, a GP can send you for further tests to find out if your symptoms are caused by a hiatus hernia. They might also prescribe medicines for long-term GORD.
A GP might refer you to a specialist to check if you need surgery. This usually only happens if other treatments have not worked and you keep having very bad symptoms.
Surgery for a hiatus hernia
Keyhole surgery (also called a Laparoscopy) is usually used for a hiatus hernia. This involves making small cuts in your tummy (abdomen).
It's done under general anaesthetic, so you'll be asleep during the operation.
After surgery, it usually takes:
2 to 3 days to go home
3 to 6 weeks to go back to work
6 weeks before you can eat what you want
a few months to recover from side effects like bloating, burping, farting and difficulty swallowing
There's a small risk (about 1 in 100) that your side effects will not go away and you'll need more surgery.
What causes a hiatus hernia
It's not clear what causes a hiatus hernia. Anyone can have one, but it's more common if you're over 50, pregnant or overweight.
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Page last reviewed: 01 April 2021
Next review due: 01 April 2024
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